Love at First Strife
by Sugar Waffle
Summary: [CloudxSora] A collection of drabbles for the Clora pairing. [Their love touches the sky.]
1. Promise Me

Author's Note: Just a collection of drabbles, so now you know that I really _am_ working on projects, and not just slacking off. Really. So no need to shoot me, okay? If you've already read these on LiveJournal then... yay? Go read my other fics! XDD;;

Annnnd don't complain about the shortness of each story. They're _drabbles_, not a one shot or an epic. Just... little ficlets of fluff. Yay, fluff.

Did I mention I have a LJ? It's a very smexy LJ. With very smexy communities. -cough- Alright, I'll stop advertising it, now. ;; Just go and read.

Disclaimer: Sadly, I don't own Kingdom Hearts, blah blah blah... you get the picture.

Summary: Don't say goodbye—you only say that when you're never going to meet again. Don't say hussy—you never know when a group of feminists are around the corner.

001

Promise Me

Cloud smiled at the young boy who was hugging him, a feeling of warmth spreading through his body. The blond couldn't believe that he was leaving Sora for two weeks—it was too painful.

The brunette seemed to share the same feeling. "Promise me that you'll come back soon," Sora demanded, his famous pout on full throttle. "I don't want to hear anything about you finding some hussy at Traverse."

Chuckling, Cloud ruffled Sora's hair. "If the 'hussies' here don't have any effect on me, what makes you think that the ones there will?" he asked.

"Well," Sora began. "The ones here are island hussies. You're going to a city—the hussies there are in a league of their own."

The blond shook his head, wondering how Sora came up with his odd logic. After taking a quick peek at his watch, he saw that, to his dismay, his plane would be leaving soon. He was already dreading the trip.

"You have to go," Sora muttered, kicking a nonexistent rock. "Don't worry, I'll be okay while you're gone."

Cloud leaned down and softly kissed the boy's lips, silently telling Sora that he'd miss him; the brunette nodded, as if to tell him that he understood. The pair stood there in silence until the intercom announce that Cloud's flight was about to take off.

Sora sighed, his eyes watering. "I guess this is goodbye, then..."

"Hey, you know," Cloud winked. "You only say goodbye when you're never going to see each other again"—he wiped a tear from Sora's eyes—"and I'm coming back, with presents."

The brunette sniffed. "Promise me that you won't buy me one of those cheap T-shirts."

Smiling, Cloud nodded. "I promise."


	2. The Art of Sneaking In Late

Disclaimer: It's... not mine. But, I do own a Sora action figure!1!oneonethree2 ... Wait, no, that was a lie.

Summary: Working late can really get to a guy, especially when the cutest person alive is waiting for him to come home.

002

The Art of Sneaking In Late

He was tired. His body ached from the long and tedious work that his boss made him go through; whenever the blond finished one thing, the man gave him another assignment. Cloud abhored overtime, but it was something he had to go through to pay the rent.

The door opened easily, slightly unnerving Cloud. He didn't know why the boy never locked up when he was alone... it was either stupidity or... well, just stupidity.

He sighed.

Remembering to lock the door behind him, the blond shuffled to the hallway closet and silently disposed of his coat and boots. He winced slightly upon hearing the loud _thud!_ the boots made, fearing for his own safety if **he** woke up. One thing he knew, it wouldn't be pretty.

Taking all the time he could, Cloud lazily walked towards the bedroom, hearing soft snores behind the door. He smiled; Sora really was asleep. Gently, he pushed open the door, making sure to avoid the loose floor board. Satisfied that no annoying creaks broke the silence of the night, the blond continued into the room.

The brunette was sprawled over the comforter, mouth hanging open. Every once in awhile his left hand would twitch and he would murmur unaudiable sentences. It looked as if nothing in the world would wake him... not that anything would want to. The guy was a terror when he woke up.

As quietly as humanly possible, the blond changed out of his work clothes; he was far too tired to take a shower... he could do that first thing in the morning. Or, evantually, anyway. Rummaging through a dresser drawer, Cloud picked out a pair of black boxers... or was it dark blue? purple? It was too dark to tell, and it was sort of a silly thing to be wondering about. Shrugging, Cloud slipped the boxers on before carefully crawling into bed next to the sleeping brunette.

He stroked the boy's cheek softly, and kissed his forehead lightly. Sora shifted, opening an eye slowly. "Mmhm? ... Cloud...?"

"Yes?"

"I missed you."

"I missed you, too."

"Good night, Cloud."

"G'night."

Smiling, they fell asleep.


	3. Like A Drug

Disclaimer: If I owned Kingdom Hearts Sora and Cloud would have jumped each other as soon as the game started. Or Riku. Sadly, that didn't happen, so I don't own it. Aw, shucks!

Summary: I looked into your eyes and was hypnotized by your innocent gaze. Then reality took over and you were the ony thing standing in the way of my light. It's funny how that happens.

003

Like A Drug

His eyes were intoxicating, like an addicting drug that would make you crave more and more, until it was the essence of your life. They were the perfect shade of blue, purer than the bright sky and yet more mysterious than the ocean's depths. Perfect, perfect, _perfect._

Licking his lips vigorously, the blond watched as the petite boy bounded towards him, chatting animatedly with what looked like a duck and a dog.

Wait, a duck and a dog...? What the _hell?_

Shaking away the disturbed feeling that was beginning to etch it's way into his mind, the young man waited until his opponent reached him, those brilliant blue eyes twinkling with wonder and laughter. The boy--he looked around fourteen--grinned at the mercenary as if they were the best of pals. This, after all, was only supposed to be a friendly match between two heroes.

It was supposed to be, but it wasn't.

The blond was hired to kill the boy, this young and energetic boy, who was so filled with life and determination; this boy who had the most beautiful eyes he had ever seen..

_Oh, fuck,_ the older man thought bitterly. How was he going to get out of this mess? He couldn't kill the boy, he was too--dare he say it?--cute.

Yes, cute and addicting, like a drug.

"I'm Sora," the brunette said cheerfully. "Nice to meet you!"

_What is he, a girl?_ The blond wondered if it was even possible for a boy to remind you of a girl so much.

Well, apparently, it was.

He did not answer Sora, instead he merely went into his battle position, dreading the final outcome of the match. _Could he? Would he? What would the boy's mother say?_ Once again, he shook the thoughts from his head.

And the fight began.

Unsurprisingly, he had the upperhand over the boy; the blond could very well see Sora struggling to keep up with his opponent's quick moves and reflexes. He grimaced, knowing that there was no way he was going to win.

He didn't. The fighter for hire had the boy pinned to the ground, his Buster Sword's blade at the brunette's neck. Sora's eyes were wide with disbelief and fear, as if he had known the mercenary for years and trusted him like a brother. Maybe, he did--well, the trust part, anyway.

This was his chance; all he had to do was push the sword down and he would get the information he wanted. One life wouldn't matter, would it? No. Just. Do. It.

Yet, he could not. Those perfect blue eyes pierced his soul, filling his body with a feeling of warmth that he had never felt before. The blond blinked, trying to focus on the mission at hand. Sora gave him a weak smile, destroying all the defenses the man had left.

He couldn't do it; his heart wouldn't let him.

Sighing, he leaned down and gently kissed the boy's cheek, caressing the softness of his hair. He quietly whispered into Sora's ear, "Cloud."

The brunette watched him walk away, touching his cheek with his forefingers. "Woah, I should come here more often."


	4. Love Thy Splinters

Disclaimer: Oooh, I do not ooooown Kingdom Hearts, yeah yeah yeah! -SHOT-

Summary: Sora was young and in love; the only thing that stopped him was made out of dead trees.

004

Love Thy Splinters

All that seperated the two was a fence.

It wasn't even a well made fence, just a bunch of badly painted wood planks tied together to keep away robbers and psychotic killers. Or a love-struck boy.

Sora couldn't help but fall in love with his neighbor; Cloud was as close to perfection as a person could get without actually crossing over the line that divided the gods from the mortals. Cloud was--he didn't know. He was just..._there_

And a stupid fence made him stay there.

Sighing, the brunette gave the fence of DOOM a hateful look before turning away. He could always glare at it later when the blond wasn't at home. Then, out of nowhere, a paper ball went hurling towards his head. He ducked, but Sora still managed to get hit.

It was a note.

Opening it, the boy read the tiny scrawl:

_You really shouldn't be mad at the fence. If it wasn't for it, you would be jail bait right about now--and I would be in jail._

Or, you know, you could just go around _it._

Laughing, Sora quickly looked back to the fence, seeing a sheepish-looking blond sitting on top of it. The younger boy would have kissed the wooden object and all of it's splinters, but that would have been slightly akward. Instead, he chosed to kiss Cloud.

Who was splinter free, by the way.


	5. Coffee and Snow

Disclaimer: I wish I owned Kingdom Hearts, then I wouldn't have to wait until March 28th to play KH2.

Summary: Can gardenias survive snow? Can _Sora_ survive snow? What is with snow, anyway?

005

Coffee and Snow

Sora held the small flower close to his chest, hoping that the warmth of his body would spread to the gardenia. Mentally cursing himself for waiting until the last minute to pick it up, the boy quickened his pace.

He was running out of time.

Aerith had saved this particular flower just for him, saying that it matched the snow with it's pure white color. Sora thanked the girl halfheartedly; he would have preferred a rose.

The boy shivered. The frigid cold air was getting to him, and he didn't know whether or not the plant could survive in such weather.

Spotting the coffee shop, the brunette let out an excited squeal before breaking out in a run. Almost there... so close...

It was closed.

He felt tears begin to form in his eyes, despair filling his body slowly. He was too late...

A hand touched his shoulder lightly. "Um," Sora turned to see Cloud. "Sorry, but we're closed... Sora?"

Letting out another squeal, the brunette thrusted the gardenia into the older man's arms. "H-happy birthday... and stuff," he stuttered.

The blond blinked. "Thanks, how'd you know?"

Instead of answering, Sora leaned over and gave him a quick kiss on the lips, blushing deeply. Blinking once more, Cloud gave the boy a confused look.

Sora was sure his heart sank down to his stomach. "Sorry about that..." he murmured. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.

"Do you," Cloud averted his eyes, his cheeks a light shade of pink. "Want to come in for some coffee? I have the key..."

Nodding happily, the brunette followed Cloud, deciding that gardenias were far better than roses.


	6. I'm Okay

Disclaimer: I wish I owned it. LYK SRSLY. But, I don't... -LE TEAR-

Summary: The color made him remember.

006

I'm Okay

He hated the color.

It reminded him of the time when he had to work in the Coliseum, while he was searching for her. It wasn't so bad, at first, but soon the seemingly endless battles began to wore him down, slowly...

Even after he found her, the color made him feel sick inside; it brought back memories that he tried to suppress, when he was alone.

He hated being alone.

He tried sealing away his emotions—it didn't work. He just couldn't forget the way he felt about everyone—everything. But, he did manage to build a wall seperating himself from the world. A wall that evantually crumbled...

"Cloud?"

The blonde turned to face Sora, who was walking towards him with a worried look. The blue-eyed boy grabbed Cloud's hand and frowned.

"You're bleeding," Sora muttered. Bringing Cloud's hand to his lips, he tenderly kissed the wound. The brunette hesitantly pulled away before ripping off a piece of his sleeve.

"You don't have to—"

Sora shushed him, wrapping the torn fabric around Cloud's hand. Satisfied with his work, the boy grinned at the blonde. "Are you okay?"

He fingered the red cloth, wondering if it was really as bad of a color as he thought.

"Yeah, I'm okay."


	7. Mermaids

Disclaimer: I don't own KH, but I do own a copy of KH2. That I love like _crazy_. Actually, I'm wondering why I'm not playing it right now.

Summary: The ocean breeze gave us comfort as the sun melted into the night. You danced across the golden sand, and I couldn't help but wonder if it was all a dream.

007

Mermaids

Two figures could be seen walking hand in hand on the beach, laughing heartily at their silent jokes. The older one, Cloud, smiled at his companion, who was animatedly talking about seeing the ocean for the first time.

"... And I heard that there are mermaids, too! Wouldn't that be great, Cloud?" the brunette said, happily. "Meeting a mermaid?"

Cloud ruffled Sora's hair, smiling. "Mermaids? Eh, I don't think that they'll show up, sorry."

Sora pouted, his lower lip sticking out and trembling. His grip tightened on Cloud's hand, muttering random sentences that didn't make sense—well, what Cloud could hear didn't make sense, anyway.

The blond sighed. "Fine, there are mermaids. But I think they're asleep, Sora," he added.

"Oh," Sora shrugged, grinning brightly. "Well, we don't want to wake them up, so no mermaids today."

Chuckling, Cloud absentmindedly kicked a seashell, noticing the receding daylight; it would be dark soon. He felt a pang of worry: Would Sora mind if their visit to the beach was during the night? He was about to ask Sora if he wanted to leave, only to find that the brunette was gone.

"Hey, Cloudy!" the boy shouted. "The water's so cold." He giggled giddily, slowly inching towards the salty water with his bare feet.

Letting out a breath of relief, Cloud trotted over to him, secretly wishing that he had a video camera. Pausing at the shoreline, he crossed his arms, an amused smile on his face. "Are you having fun?" he asked.

Nodding, Sora grabbed onto the blond's arm, tugging at it. Cloud shrugged and followed him into the water, making sure as to not let go of Sora. The older man looked expectantly at Sora.

"Well...?"

Blushing, Sora kissed him on the cheek, giggling shyly. Before Cloud could respond, Sora put a finger to his lips, as to quiet him. "Shhh, listen. Can you hear that?"

Still surprised by the kiss, Cloud leaned closer to Sora. "All I can hear is the waves."

The brunette smiled, his eyes twinkling in delight. "It's the mermaids, they like you."

"Do they?" Cloud asked.

"Yeah, they do," whispered the boy.

And they both listened to the waves together.


	8. He Loved His Laugh

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters. Until I kidnap Nomura-san and force him to give ownership of Cloud and Sora to me, mwhaha!

Summary: Sora was surprised—he didn't know Cloud could laugh.

008

He Loved His Laugh

He laughed.

Cloud _never_ laughed; just the thought of it brought chills to Sora. He often dreamed of it, of course, but the brunette didn't even know that Cloud was able to laugh. He was just so... angsty.

But there he was, chuckling at something Sora just said in a restuarant booth. It wasn't even _that_ funny. Wait, Sora thought grimly. Maybe he was laughing at Sora, and not with him? Well, he couldn't be laughing with him, since Sora was not laughing. Fretting over the possibility that his crush thought he was a joke, Sora squirmed in his seat.

"Um," the brunette said quietly. "Are you... okay, Cloud?"

Cloud nodded. "Yeah, you're just really something."

He was _something_ now? Something what? Something bad? Good? Boyfriend material? Blushing at the last thought, Sora averted his eyes from the blonde.

"Oh. I'm really... what?" he asked nervously.

"Sorry," Cloud answered, staring at the empty seat besides Sora. "It's just that not that many people have the guts to say that Sephiroth's hair makes him look girly."

Sora bit his lip. "Is that good?"

And to Sora's utter surprise, Cloud laughed again. He flashed the brunette a small smile, and leaned forward over the table so that his face was a few inches away from the brunette's.

"Very good," the blonde whispered.

Sora's face flushed; he really did love Cloud's laugh.


	9. Yum

Disclaimer: If I owned Kingdom Hearts, the E rating would not be there anymore, nope. 

Author's Note: I don't usually do notes in these drabbles, but I haven't updated in so long I thought I might as well. XD;; MY CLORA MUSE DID NOT DIE I PROMISE. But... I'm not that happy with this. DX Oh well.

And for those who get the inside joke in this, Island is too addicting. 8D;;

Summary: Sora liked to cook sometimes; too bad Cloud was the one who had to eat it.

009

Yum

"You do not expect me to eat that, right?" Cloud gaped at the brunette, watching him mix ingredients together that God never meant to have in the same bowl. The kitchen was a mess after Sora decided he rather make his own meal instead of going out to eat like a normal person.

"Kairi makes food all the time," Sora replied, concentrating on the task of counting how many cherries should be added to his concotion. "And you eat it. Why should my meal be any different?"

The blonde sighed. "Kairi knows how to cook, that's the difference. Can't we just go to Cacholate Café?"

Sora shook his head, grabbing a pack of gummi bears. "Food is like the heart. If you don't have fun making it, then it won't taste good."

Deciding not to point out that what he just said had nothing to do with why food was like hearts, Cloud sat on the stool, resting his elbows on the kitchen counter. He watched his boyfriend run around the kitchen with a bored expression, wincing whenever the brunette grabbed onto something really sweet or just plain weird. Every now and then, Cloud would open his mouth to argue about the use of a certain item, but Sora's happy smile kept the blonde quiet.

"It needs chili," Sora muttered to himself, wiping his hands on his t-shirt. "And maybe some eggs. Cloud, do we have eggs?"

Groaning, Cloud got up from his seat and trudged to the refrigerator. Taking the pack of a dozen eggs out, he brought it back to the younger boy. "This isn't going to be edible, you know."

Sora shrugged, cracking an egg open and dumping the yolk into a bowl. "Maybe, but I like eggs. They make everything taste better." He put a finger into the mixture and took it out, the digit now covered in a gooey mess. "See?"

Hesitantly, Cloud licked Sora's finger and blinked. With a smile, he ruffled his boyfriend's hair, making him laugh.

"I was right?"

Cloud chuckled. "It's horrible."


End file.
